Yearly Archives: 2018
Why Call of Duty: WW2 Had to Go Back to Move Forward
I had the opportunity to sit down with Sledgehammer Games co-founder and former general manager Glen Schofield to talk about his journey with Call of Duty: WWII. It’s difficult for me to imagine that the frequency and consistency of an annualized franchise like Call of Duty (which is already moving right along to Black Ops 4) would leave any room for passion or a personal connection on the part of the developer. But as Glen conveyed during the interview below, the drama, tragedy, and historical nature of World War II has a way of evoking an emotional response.
Call of Duty: WWII represents a return to the mechanical “boots on the ground” roots of the franchise with health pickups, a reliance on squadmates, and a distinct lack of exosuits. But equally important to Glen was telling a historically grounded and emotional story without sacrificing the scope and spectacle for which the franchise’s grandiose campaigns are known. So now I’ll leave you with the following video: please enjoy the sixth episode IGN’s Expert Mode featuring Call of Duty: WWII.
Update: Netflix Responds to Allegations of Verbal Abuse by Stranger Things Showrunners
Update: Netflix and showrunners The Duffer Brothers have responded to the allegations of Stranger Things crew member Peyton Brown, who alleged verbal abuse by the Duffers on set.
"We are deeply upset to learn that someone felt uncomfortable on our set," Matt and Ross Duffer said in a statement to THR. "Due to the high-stress nature of production, tempers occasionally get frayed, and for that, we apologize. However, we think it is important not to mischaracterize our set, where we believe strongly in treating everyone fairly regardless of gender, orientation, race, religion, or anything else. We remain totally committed to providing a safe and collaborative working environment for everyone on our productions."
Batman: The Animated Series Mondo Posters Revealed
Mondo will open a Batman: The Animated Series-themed gallery during South by Southwest, and IGN can exclusively reveal two of the show's featured posters.
The limited edition prints, created by Phantom City Creative’s Justin Erickson, feature Bane and a piece titled "His Silicon Soul," a reference to the series' episode of the same name. Check out the two exclusive posters below, as well as a look at the other prints Mondo Gallery will display from March 9-12.
The gallery will also feature Mondo's upcoming Batman: The Animated Series 1/6 scale figures, which will be released in late 2018.
For more on the series, you can read IGN's top ten Batman: The Animated Series episodes. And for more on South by Southwest, here's how you can stream the 2018 SXSW Gaming Awards.
Opinion: DC’s Aggressive Expansion Is Good for Everyone
DC Comics has had a very busy past few months, between signing Brian Michael Bendis to an exclusive contract, launching the New Age of DC Heroes line and announcing all sorts of new imprints like the YA-focused DC Ink and the Neil Gaiman-curated Sandman line. As Heath Ledger's Joker would say, it's a period of aggressive expansion for the company. That trend continued this week with the announcement of DC Black Label, another new imprint focused on edgy, personalized takes on classic DC heroes. At this point, there's more DC Comics content in the works than any one reader can hope to consume. But that's not a bad thing. That ambitious, guns-blazing approach is just what the industry needs right now.
Trump’s Meeting With The Games Industry Was Never About Finding Solutions
Yesterday’s meeting between President Donald Trump, game industry executives, and anti-game-violence crusaders was nothing more than theater. Trump couldn’t possibly have expected anything to come out of it, except the appearance that he and Congress are doing something about the ongoing epidemic of school shootings while actually doing nothing at all.
But if it was theater, why wasn’t the meeting televised, as the gun control meeting held late last month was? It may have been out of fear of Trump overreaching again: had the President been seen calling for government censorship of Constitutionally protected speech a short time after he’d called for skipping due process and taking people’s guns, we’d have seen him advocating trampling the First and Fifth Amendments in consecutive meetings. That’s not a good look.
Cheetah Explained: Who Is the Wonder Woman 1984 Villain?
Update: The first trailer for Wonder Woman 1984 has arrived.
Wonder Woman 1984 will see the return of Gal Gadot's super-heroine, and joining her will be Kristen Wiig as Cheetah, one of Wonder Woman's oldest and most nefarious foes. As of now, it remains unclear exactly how Wiig's character will become Cheetah in the film, or even if she will be the villain in the film as Pedro Pascal is also co-starring as DC Comics bad guy Maxwell Lord.
While we wait for this epic clash between comic book titans, here's everything you need to know about Cheetah and the various women who have held that title in DC's comics.
How to Watch the 2018 SXSW Gaming Awards
The 2018 SXSW Gaming Awards is right around the corner, and you'll be able to watch the event right here on IGN.
The event celebrates excellence in AAA and indie gaming, as voted on by gaming fans. This year, a total of 46 games have been nominated across all categories, with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, PUBG, Horizon Zero Dawn, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, and Cuphead leading the charge, each with six nominations.
Read on for a rundown of when, where, and how to watch the 2018 SXSW Gaming Awards.
The SXSW Gaming Awards will take place on Saturday, March 17 at 6:00 p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. ET (Sunday, March 18 at 1:00 a.m. UK/12:00 p.m. AET). The event will be streamed live from the Hilton Austin Downtown in Austin, Texas.
Black Panther 2 Will ‘Absolutely’ Happen, says Marvel Studios Head
Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has confirmed a Black Panther sequel will indeed happen.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Feige revealed Black Panther 2 is definitely a part of Marvel Studios' future plans for the MCU. "Nothing specific to reveal, other than to say we absolutely will do that," Feige said when asked about the studio's plans for a Black Panther sequel. "One of the favorite pastimes at Marvel Studios is sitting around on a Part One and talking and dreaming about what we would do in a Part Two."
Though Feige did not provide any further details about the sequel or what it might be about, he did tease Marvel already has a few story ideas and a "solid direction" for Black Panther 2. "There have been plenty of those conversations as we were putting together the first Black Panther," Feige said. "We have ideas and a pretty solid direction on where we want to head with the second one."
Captain Marvel Is the First Superhero Nick Fury Meets
Captain Marvel will take place before Nick Fury knew superheroes existed.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige revealed Carol Danvers (aka Captain Marvel) is actually the first hero Nick Fury meets in the MCU. According to Feige, Marvel wanted to explore a time period when Nick Fury did not know about this larger universe of superheroes existing.
"You know, we first met Nick when he told Tony, 'You’re part of a big universe. You just don’t know yet,'" Feige said. "Well, we want to go back to a time when he didn’t know it yet, and really showcase and announce that Carol Danvers was that first hero that Nick came across. That meant she could be the singular hero, but place it within timing of the MCU."
Pacific Rim Uprising Exclusive Clip and VFX Breakdown Site
Pacific Rim Uprising swoops into theaters March 23rd and to whet your appetite for it even more then you need to watch this exclusive clip we have for you today.
The clip, seen in the player above, features a battle between two Jaegers. The first is the good guy Jaeger piloted by Jake Pentecost (John Boyega) and Nate Lambert (Scott Eastwood), who are squaring off against the rogue Jaeger known as Obsidian Fury.
As you can see from the VFX-packed clip, the Jaegers in this sequel move far more gracefully than they did even in the 2013 original film.
To find out more about how the VFX for Pacific Rim Uprising were accomplished, check out this new visual effects breakdown site that shows you the stages of various VFX shots.